Friendship Must Defeat Magic
by BaiduScorpion
Summary: [NOTE: Old, dead fic that I'm not proud of.] - A multi-crossover focusing on Jackie Chan Adventures and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. While searching for the Dragonballs, two heroes join in an unlikely team against a fearsome demon.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER

All characters, concepts, etc. belong to their respective owners including but not limited to: Jackie Chan, Adelaide Productions, Columbia TriStar Television, Sony Pictures Television, Lauren Faust, Hasbro Inc., Akira Toriyama, Funimation Entertainment, Rodney A. Greenblatt, Masaya Matsuura, Sony Computer Entertainment America, NaNaOn-Sha.

As the story is in progress at the time of writing this, not all companies behind franchises that may appear have been accounted for.

**Friendship Must Defeat Magic**

"Jade, get down from there!"

It had been about a year since the defeat of the demon sorcerer, Drago, and archaeologist Jackie Chan was happy to remain just that- an archaeologist, not a secret agent for the government agency Section 13. His nephew, Jade, however, wasn't such a sucker for peace. Right now, she was on a high shelf in an antique store. She only retorted, "Tch. Come on, Uncle Jackie. _NOTHING_ has happened for this whole year. No Shadowkahn ambushes, no kicking demon butt... How do you put up with this?"

Jackie had gotten used to these speeches a long time ago. "We've done our part, Jade. Thanks to us, the world is safe from dark magic for the time being."

Jade jumped down, knocking down several vases in the process.  
>"Tch. 'For the time being' isn't forever."<p>

As the vases crashed to the ground, an angry old man stormed downstairs. "**AYAAA!** Those were from the early Han dynasty! You broke it, youuu bought iiit!"

Just then, the TV in the background flickered to a news story that caught Jade and Jackie's attention, ignoring the shouting of the man behind them, who continued to wail, "One more thing! Look at Uncle when Uncle is talking to you! _JACKIIIEEE!_"

The announcer stated, "Authorities report that the San Francisco Museum has been robbed. No cash was taken, but however, one artifact was missing; the seven star dragon ball, the value of which is only superstitious. The thief has left investigators baffled; The security tapes seem to show the artifact floating on its own, and the footprints at the scene suggest that the culprit was mounted on a horse. This bizarre evidence suggest that tampering was involved..."

"...Or MAGIC!"

At this, Jackie glared at his niece disapprovingly. "I know what you're thinking about, Jade, and no. We are leaving this to the proper authorities."

Uncle spoke up, "No, Jade could be right."

"What do you mean?"

"The man in the television set said that the object stolen was worthless. A lot of trouble was taken hiding this nonetheless. One more thing, what ordinary thief rides a horse?"

"Come on, Jackie! I've been waiting for something cool to happen all year!"  
>Jackie had no choice but to tag along. He had a feeling that his hopes for a peaceful year were about to be dashed.<p>

The three arrived at the museum later that day to see what they could find. If the thief left anything behind, then Uncle could prepare a locator spell. The crime scene was closed off by police tape, but nearby, Jade noticed something on the floor; a single strand of hair that was... purple? No, that couldn't be right...

"Uh, guys? I think we found our thief's parting gift."


	2. Chapter 2

"How do you know that's not from one of those crazy kids?"

"Because nobody's dyed their hair _bright purple_ in 20 years!"

"You want a piece of Uncllle?

Jackie was sick of all of the fighting. He suggested, "It's the only lead we have, though, so we should see what we can find, don't you think?"

Jade and Uncle looked at each other and nodded. It wasn't much, but as Jackie said, that small, solitary strand of purple hair was all they could find.

Back at the antique shop, a large cauldron was set up in the middle of the floor. After adding the contents of several strange bottles, he began to prepare his qi spell. After several incantations of "Yu mo gui gwai fai di zhao", the hair began to rise, glowing green. Uncle grabbed it from the air, letting the spell lead him away, with Jackie and Jade following close behind.

After a long walk, the spell led the team to the door of the library, and pointed straight up. Uncle could only retort, "Hmm, now I know this not from teenager." They all looked up, and Jade said, "Looks like our perp is on the roof. Come on, Jackie!" He sighed and muttered, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" The three of them rushed inside and up the stairs, but when they got to the top of the roof, it was empty. The spell was still glowing, however, and pointed straight forward. Jackie stepped forward and said, "Uncle, hand me the spell and take Jade downstairs." Jade grumbled and followed.

"Do not worry, Jackie. I will keep veeery close eye on her," Uncle said. Jackie stepped further, and held up the spell, which glowed even brighter and released a sudden burst of qi energy, which concentrated onto a shape in front of him; a shape that formed itself into a small horse.

As the qi energy closed in, a figure began to manifest itself visibly. Now, Jackie could see in front of him, holding the dragonball under its foot, an angry, purple...

...Unicorn?

Jackie couldn't believe it, but yes, he was looking at a bright purple unicorn with a red, six-pointed star on its thigh. And if that wasn't enough, he was almost sure it started TALKING.

"What do you want?"

Jackie waited a few seconds to take in everything, but the floor started to crack and split under him!

As the roof began to form a dangerous gap, Jackie could only run back, shouting, "Bad day bad day bad day BAD DAY BAD DAY..." only stopping when he realized that he was about to step over the edge. He turned around, seeing several sections of the roof floating in the air, flying towards him. This was his only chance; he took a running leap using what little ground was left, and landed on a large chunk of floating concrete.

Ducking and weaving to avoid the flying debris, Jackie quickly hopped across the platforms to his concentrating opponent, who was trying to both hit him and pull the platforms out from under his feet. As he jumped off of the last bit of slag, he managed to perform a kick directly to his adversary's vulnerable muzzle, breaking the unicorn's concentration and sending it reeling back. Unfortunately for Jackie, however, the concrete slabs still had inertia, and they flew straight into his head. The blow sent him sprawling to the ground, where he could only mumble, "I never liked rock music..."

_

"No, no, NO! I search every book on ancient relics, and there is nothing about 'dragon balls'!" Uncle furiously slammed down another book against the table, and at that moment, the building shook. Jade looked up in amazement from her Super Moose comic, and said, "...Go, Uncle!"  
>"But that wasn't me!" Uncle looked around, and sat down in bewilderment. "This is confusing... I sensed powerful GOOD qi magic from the roof, but the only ones up there are..."<p>

Jade's face lit up, and she jumped from her chair, shouting, "That means Uncle Jackie must be a qi wizard and hasn't told us! I have to see this!" She ran to the still-shaking staircase, with Uncle running after her, with barely audible shouts of "Jade! JADE!"

_

Jackie was just managing to get up, shaken and hurt by the blow, but so was the unicorn. Its muzzle had obviously been broken, and it was cut and bleeding from the loose concrete shards. It let out a nasally groan, then shook itself and re-assumed its stance, its magic horn faintly flickering. Jackie took up his own stance as well, although unstably. He noticed a push-broom near the staircase; limping around the gap, he made his way over to the broom and screwed off the handle.

The unicorn had to regain its energy before attacking again, and Jackie seized the opportunity. He made his way over with his makeshift staff and struck the unicorn across the flank, just as it was getting a steady glow on its horn. However, it was ready; it used its own magic to float back to its feet, and much to Jackie's surprise, seized the staff from his hands and spun it rapidly in midair, turning it into a virtual buzz saw, and rose it up against Jackie's face.

The broom-staff proved a dangerous weapon, as the screw-top where the bristles used to be left several claw-like gashes across Jackie's cheek, and he wailed in pain before backing out of range. All the while, though, the broom-saw eased towards him, but when he was just out of range, he grabbed the handle and used it to swing around before letting go and launching himself feet first towards the unicorn. It was too startled to dodge, and the two of them slammed against the closed air vent.

Jackie struggled to get up; His wounds were agonizing, but he saw a small figure in the distance. Jade was on the other end of the gap, cheering for him. Jackie gathered his senses long enough to slur, "JADE, I THOUGHT I... Ah, what's the use..." before collapsing again with a groan. Jade and Uncle ran over to his side.

At that moment, the unicorn regained consciousness, groaning and clutching its ribs under one hoof and the dragon ball under the other.

The unicorn was in a lot of pain, but it spoke, although with great difficulty, "You two... I, I need your help... Finish him off!"

Uncle and Jade were confused; what did it mean by that?

"Please... before he gets up again... I'm too weak right now to use... my magic..."

Magic? At this, now Uncle understood. The good qi he sensed being cast earlier came from the unicorn, the thief! There had been some sort of mix-up, and Uncle had to set it right.

"_**That is enooooough!**_" Uncle yelled, and Jade and the unicorn both looked towards him. Uncle cleared his throat, and spoke again. "I sense an abundance of good qi in you, young unicooorn, so why are you fighting my nephew? One more thing! Why have you stolen the dragon ball? One MORE thing!..."

"Uncle, I think you should wait a bit before giving one of your lectures," Jade interrupted, and for good reason; the unicorn was starting to cough up blood, and Jackie still hadn't regained consciousness.

They both had to be taken to where anything could be kept safe; Section 13.


	3. Chapter 3

One of Section 13's helicopters almost as soon as Jade had made the call, and Captain Black, the bald, trench coat-wearing commander, helped Uncle haul the injured unicorn and Jackie inside. It took a lot of care and effort, but they were both slid in safely. Casts were applied to their wounds, Jackie was on his side, and the unicorn was hooked up to a breathing tube. Nobody said a word for the whole trip; the only sound was the constant buzz of the helicopter blades.

Just as the helicopter landed, Jackie woke up on his own. Noticing his opponent on the opposite side, he jerked up, only to have his shoulder held by Captain Black, who warned him, "No, Jackie. After that spill, you'll have to rest for a while." "But... How did I... Why is she..." "We'll make the unicorn give us a full explanation as soon as medically possible, but right now, we have more serious problems."

Jackie was able to hobble down the alley,where he stepped inside of a phone booth and disappeared. Uncle, Jade, and Black all did the same, hauling the heavy unicorn inside as well. A few more days, and they would find out everything, hopefully.

~~~

The unicorn finally came to after a while, and groaning, she saw the cast on her muzzle, and she tried to sit up, only to be stopped by sharp pains in her ribs (There was a cast there, too, she noticed) and some sort of machine in her armpit.

_ Where am I? And what is this... thing? Let's see, I remember that some human tried to use magic to take the dragon ball, but..._ the dragon ball! _Dammit, where is it? He must have taken it while I was out! That sneaky __**thug!**_ These thoughts rushed through the unicorn's head as she frantically looked around Section 13's medical wing.

"Good, you're awake."

The unicorn completely froze as the bald man came into the room. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions." The unicorn was still on edge, but what choice did she have?

She sighed and said in a reluctant deadpan, "Okay... what do you want to know?"

She couldn't hide her fear however, when she noticed a familiar man walk through the door, saying, "Everything."

In her panic, the unicorn gathered up her strength and slammed the man against the wall. She heard a scream of "AYAAA!" and saw the old man and child from earlier rush in. The bald man yelled for her to stop. She had to, anyway; she was still hurting, after all. The man had gotten up, rubbing his head, and pleaded, "Listen, I'm sorry! I just want to know why you took the dragon ball from the museum! It's not even worth much..."

The old man walked up to the unicorn, saying, "He speaks the truth. You were fighting my nephew over a cheap trinket, unless there is more that we don't know."

At this point, the child began stroking her sore face, saying, "You know, I didn't really get a good look at ya back up on the roof. Cuuute!"

Blushing slightly, the unicorn decided to take her chances and trust them. "Okay... I'll tell you everything."

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn from the world of Equestria..."

"You're an _alien_, too? COOL!" the child, Jade, interrupted.

"I never thought of it that way, but, yeah, I guess I am," Twilight said, giggling nervously.

"Anyway, there's a problem on my home world. The sun is going out, and it's ready to burst into a supernova. Our ruler, Princess Celestia, has been struggling to keep it together with her magic, but I don't think she can keep it up for much longer. Everypony's been terrified ever since they heard the news, so I set out on my own search for the solution. The answer came in an old scroll I found in an ancient library, telling of magical artifacts on other planets. Right away, the answer caught my eye; the Dragon Balls of planet Earth. I studied the skies, and used my best portal spell to come here, but it was such a hard one to cast that it almost killed me. I traveled across the land for months, laying low and trying to avoid being seen. Finally, I found what I was looking for; the city of San Francisco, where I heard from passerby that was where one of the dragon balls were."  
>"But how will finding them help you?" Jackie replied.<p>

"Let me finish. You think that they're just decorative, but they've only ever been seen one at a time. In that scroll, it said that once all seven are combined, it will summon the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, who will grant one wish. I snuck into the museum using an invisibility spell and took it. I hid on the roof of the library and slept, until that man used his own magic on me. I still don't understand how, though..."

Jade leapt up and shouted, "That's easy! Uncle over here's the best qi wizard in the world! Tell her, Jackie!"

They all began to tell the stories of their adventures for the next several hours, of their battles to find the Talismans, and how they defeated the eight demon sorcerers, the dark qi wizard Daolon Wong, the Oni King Tarakudo, and the demon spawn Drago. Always loving a good story, Twilight listened interestedly.

"Everypony- Jackie, Jade, old man- You still haven't told me your name-"

"That is UNCLLLLE to you, missy!"

"Uh, okay, 'Uncle'... Do you think you can help me? You've all been through so much, and I still don't know anything about this world," Twilight asked.

Jade looked at Jackie and begged, "Pleeease, Jackie?"

He sighed and said, "No, Jade. I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, but this is out of our hands."

Jade wouldn't hear any more of this. She jumped behind Twilight's chair and grabbed her cheeks. "Just look at this cute little pony! We're not talking about some robbery anymore; she's gonna lose her whole world! You _have_ to help her!"

Captain Black looked at him, too, saying, "Jade's right, Jackie. Think about it. You could help save billions of lives." After thinking for a bit, Jackie nodded and agreed to help in any way he could.

Captain Black pulled the seven-star ball out of his trench coat pocket and handed it to Uncle. "If what you say is true and the dragon balls are connected, it is quite possible that I can use this one to locate the next. Come to my shop, and you will see the qi wizard in action."

Captain Black warned, "Not possible yet. Miss Sparkle got herself a punctured lung, and that breathing apparatus will be too hard to safely move until she recovers."

_So THAT'S what this machine is for,_ Twilight thought.

All of a sudden, Uncle began shaking. Jackie checked him for a fever, and Captain Black led him back to his shop while Jackie and Jade spent the night with their new friend.

~~~

_One wish... any wish? I must say, I'm intrigued by these... "dragon balls". That fool unicorn is going to regret tryin' that spell! She opened that portal too wide, and she is none the wiser!_

A voice seemed to echo in the shadows, and as it was silenced, a bizarre chill was felt by the sleepers.


	4. Chapter 4

Days passed, and Twilight was able to get back on her hooves. Captain Black took out the breathing tube, and she used her own magic to close the incision. She was ready and eager to continue her search, and Jackie and Jade were ready to join her.

The team managed to sneak back to Uncle's shop, and Uncle was already preparing a qi spell to locate the one-star dragon ball, the next in the cycle.

Twilight tried to distract herself with one of the old books for sale, but the process of the spell was completely alien to her; the ingredients and incantations he uttered played out just like they were from one of the old pony tales she'd heard as a foal. Nevertheless, though, she had to accept that that was how magic was done in this strange world, since these humans didn't have a horn to channel their inner energy through. She trotted over, no longer being able to hide her curiosity. Would this really work?

Twilight stared at the noxious mixture of magical ingredients, and when Uncle dropped the seven-star ball in and begun the incantation.

"Yu mo gui gwai fai di zhao, yu mo gui gwai fai di zhao..."

After he chanted, a cloud of smoke began to rise and swirl. In the center, a picture started to form. Twilight held her eyes open in disbelief. There was no way that could have worked.

In the smoke, the image of the dragon ball appeared, then faded. In its place appeared what looked like a city, with squares of colored light covering the walls. Twilight stared in horror; This was the place the portal took her at first! It took her months to gallop to San Fransisco from... what was it called? She teared up and let her hooves slip out from under her. Jackie kneeled down and asked her, "What's wrong? We know where it is now, and we're going to get it."

"You don't understand!" she bawled. "I came here from that place- 'New Yoyk', I think it was called- and even at my fastest gallop, it was almost a year-long trip! It'll be too late before we even get there! Oh, what I'd give to be Rainbow Dash. She might make it, but I'll never see her again, I'll never see _any_ of..." she said before choking up.

Jade asked, "What's a 'Rainbow Dash'?"

Twilight looked up. "She's one of my friends back in Equestria. You would've loved her. She was the fastest pegasus pony alive!"

"Pegasus? As in, she could fly?" Jade asked. "Like nopony else," Twilight said, reminiscing. "I still remember this one time when..." "Hold that thought, Charlie," Jade interrupted, "Because here on Earth, we have the answer!" She dashed out the door, with Jackie and Uncle rushing and yelling after her. _"Charlie"?_ Twilight thought, confused, and trotted after them.

Back in Section 13, Jackie, Jade, Uncle, Twilight, and Captain Black came to a large room with what looked like a giant, black, headless metal bird! Twilight chuckled nervously, and a door opened near the "neck", and Jade jumped inside. "Could Rainbow Dash beat one of these in a race, I wonder? Hop on!" "I-I'd love to, but I think I hear my laundry calling, so... EEP!" Before Twilight could finish her... explanation, she was picked up and carried by Jackie and Captain Black on board the jet plane.

Helplessly pressing her muzzle against the copilot's window, Twilight watched as the room opened up and the jet rolled down the runway. She started sweating profusely as they picked up speed and left the ground, and then the window opened. Twilight hung her head outside, needing some air, and was shocked at the cold wind rushing towards her. They were flying low, but she was still amazed at how fast the ground was moving under them. She smiled, and broke out in uncontrollable, excited laughter. Twilight had flown in her hot-air balloon dozens of times before, but this was spectacular! Is this what Rainbow Dash felt every day? The cabin pressurized as they got higher and the window closed, but she kept grinning and giggling as she ran her front hooves through her chilly, frizzy mane. What other wonders did this planet hold?

Up and up the plane flew, and even though she couldn't feel the wind anymore, Twilight pressed her snout against the glass and marveled at the clouds zooming by.

Twilight had laughed herself to sleep after that. It was about this time Jackie came in and, with Black's help, hauled the cute, sleeping, 407-pound unicorn off to the cabin, who whinnied softly and rubbed her nose against the exhausted Jackie. She was placed on a reclined seat next to Jade, who started petting her. She started muttering something in her sleep, so Jade put her face against Twilight's and listened to her mumble; "That's right, Spike... Mommy's here now, and I'm never leaving you again...

A few hours later, the plane landed, and they were there in New York. Jade and Twilight were still sleeping, until Uncle burst in, yelling, "Wake up! We're here! One more thing, we are clooose!" He held up the green-glowing seven-star ball and led the still-groggy passengers out of the plane. Twilight cast an invisibility spell on herself, and Jade hung onto her tail so they wouldn't get separated. Uncle held the glowing dragon ball in front of him, getting some weird looks from passerby.

Uncle swung the dragon ball around suddenly, smacking Twilight by mistake, as a garbage truck ran by. "Looks like we're going dumpster diving," Jade said.

The party ran after the truck and Jackie jumped on top. The driver looked out his window and ground the truck to a halt when he saw a man on the roof.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?" he yelled.

Jackie jumped down and said, "Oh, hello! I just need to get something that I accidentally threw away. It's important, so if you don't mind..."

The truck whirred open, and the irate driver yelled, "Well, hurry up, will ya? I got a schedule to keep!"

The team held their noses, and Uncle held the dragon ball to each bag. One by one, they pulled them aside, when suddenly;

_Clink, clink, clink..._

The one-star dragon ball clinked away from the top of the pile, and onto the ground, when Uncle began shaking.

"Is he okay?" Twilight whispered.

"The willies... Dark qi is nearby..." Uncle stuttered.

Uncle pulled a blowfish out from his jacket, and as a precautionary measure, started chanting "Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao..." The fish glowed green.

_Sparsum meus thesaurus!_

A strange voice echoed, and Uncle watched in horror as the green glow on his fish turned blue and fired five qi blasts into the air- and two at the dragon balls, which vanished! "AYAAA! What's happeniiing?" he wailed.

"Let me fill you in, you old lard," said the voice, coming in clearer now.

Uncle looked behind him, and there appeared to be some sort of ghostly alien, a green woman with purple antennae, appearing to be made from some sort of thin paper. "Name's Yoko Teriyaki, the demon Master of Ceremonies. "

Jackie merely facepalmed, muttering, "Demons, why is it always demons... Uncle, what should we do?"

"How should I know? This demon is not Chinese! One more thing, I have never heard of a 'Teriyaki' except on American Chinese foods!"

Twilight took off her camouflage and shouted, "_That's enough!_ I don't care who you are, what did you do with the dragon balls?"

"Hehehe... Scattered, all across the universe! You'll never find them; Even in this weakened state, I can still get to them faster than you would ever hope. Don't underestimate me just 'cuz I'm an idol!"

Teriyaki chuckled and turned around.

"By the way, unicorn, I gotta thank ya. You made that portal way too big, see? There was such a disturbance in spacetime, the supersonic transportation device I was workin' on actually worked! That stunt with your precious dragon balls? That was just an olio act compared to what I got plans for!"

Teriyaki vanished in a plume of smoke, with the dumbfounded garbage truck driver speeding off, spilling bags all over the road.

Twilight hung her head. "She's right. That spell was way too advanced for me, and now I've messed everything up!" She burst into tears, while Jackie and Captain Black carried her back to the jet, trying to reassure her. "We'll find a way out of this. We always do," said Jackie.

"There's always another way," added Captain Black.

"Come on, Twilight! We can't give up now! Think about your friends! About Rainbow Dash... about Spike!" Jade urged. Twilight sniffed and asked, "H... How did you know about Spike?"

"Back on the plane, you were talking about him in your sleep, but that's not the point! He needs you! And with that demon on the loose, we _all_ need you!" Twilight struggled out of Jackie and Black's grip, smiled, and wiped her eyes. "Alright. I'll keep trying... For Spike," she said as she walked into the plane.

Jackie asked Jade, "Spike? Who is Spike?" "Hey, don't ask me," she answered, before going into the plane herself.

~~~

The team entered Uncle's shop once more, hoping to find an answer in one of Uncle's books, when they noticed a bizzare sight; smoke was still rising from the cauldron? Twilight cantered over and chanted "Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao", and everyone turned to see the smoke thicken and swirl. An image of the one-star dragon ball was displayed, with Uncle saying, "Ayaaa, that's impossible!"

The dragon ball image faded, and in its place was shown a peaceful-looking village. Uncle furiously flipped through an atlas, but Twilight smiled and put her hoof on his shoulder, saying, "Don't trouble yourself. I can already tell you where that is!" Uncle asked, "Where, then? Unless you want a piece of Uncllllle?"

Twilight stared happily at the image and confidently said, "Ponyville, Equestrian Empire. I'm going home!"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **In case you haven't figured it out already, this story is a multicrossover; even though the main characters are from Jackie Chan Adventures and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, there are characters and locations from various other franchises as the story goes on. Future stories will not be like this one; it started as a personal challenge and experiment.


	5. Chapter 5

Twilight was still prancing around happily, when Jackie said, "There is still one problem. Miss Sparkle, didn't you say that the portal spell almost killed you the first time?" Twilight stopped dead in her tracks, and her ears drooped, remembering the nasty burns she got then.

"Not a problem," Uncle said. "A spell is more powerful with more casters, so as you survived the first attempt, with help, you should come through unscathed."

"But, aren't the unicorns extinct on this planet? OW!" Twilight asked before getting slapped with Uncle's two fingers.

"Ayaa! Have you learned nothiiing?"

"I have, and I know that you know magic, but not the same kind! You use potions and incantations, but the spell we need needs me to channel energy through my horn!"

With one hand, Uncle grabbed Twilight's horn, and with the other, beckoned for Jade's cellphone. After calling a number, he said, "Tohru, are you there?" 

A short while later, a large man- a VERY large man, walked through the door, asking, "You needed me for something, Sensei?"

"Tohru, you are full-fledged qi wizard now. You may address me as Uncle."

"Sorry... Force of habit," said Tohru. Twilight slunk down nervously. She knew about him already, but she didn't expect him to be quite so... cumbersome. Upon noticing her, he walked over and said, "A unicorn? I've always wanted one when I was little..."

"_Don't let him ride me, please don't let him ride me..._"

"Uh... Tohru? This is Miss Twilight Sparkle, and she needs our help getting back to her world," Jackie explained. Tohru bowed respectfully, saying, "Oh, uh, my apologies, miss. How may I help?"

Twilight got up, dusted herself off, and made Uncle let go of her horn. "Well, first of all, you all don't have to be so formal with me. Just call me 'Twilight'." "Tohru, have you ever heard of the 'Dragon balls'?" Jackie asked.

"The orange crystal spheres with the stars inside? I found one during a mission. It was lying on the ground in Burma, where I was pursuing an amateur dark wizard before he grew too powerful. It had four stars. I remembered seeing one with seven in the museum, so I decided to study it. It vanished earlier today; Does this have something to do with that?" Tohru asked. Twilight told him everything, and he agreed to help.

Uncle commanded, "Twilight! Perform the portal spell as you normally would. Tohru! Grab her horn."

Twilight focused heavily, with her hoof on her forehead, and her horn shone blindingly. Uncle and Tohru each held on to it tightly, chanting "Yu mo gui gwai fai di zao" and "Nukeru he men jaaku", making it glow even brighter in a brilliant display of purple and green.

Twilight, struggling from the huge amount of qi energy she was now carrying, grunted, "Okay... Let go now..." Uncle and Tohru released their grip, and she rammed forward, releasing the energy and appearing to tear a hole in the air!

Twilight lifted her head, and the portal ripped all the way open and clearly showed their destination. Jade tugged on Jackie's sleeve and shouted, "Come on, Jackie! Let's go! An alien world, this will be so cool!"

Jackie turned around to her, and said, "No, Jade. You're staying here."

He felt a tap on his back, and Twilight said, "Jackie, no place is safer than Ponyville. Just let her come!"

Jackie sighed and said, "All right, but stay close. That demon could be anywhere."

Twilight cast an invisibility spell on everyone except herself. "We don't want to attract any attention yet. Hold on to my tail until I say you can let go," she said.

A concerned Jackie asked, "But what about Jade?"

"Put her on my back. If she sneaks off, I'll know it."

They all slowly walked through the portal before it closed up on itself. Everything was going smoothly, until...

"TWILIGHT!"

Out of nowhere, a pink pony was hopping in front of Twilight, her smile beaming. "Where were you? I haven't seen you in months but it felt a bit year-lyish and everyone's been worried SICK! Luna was telling us you were on some super-cool, super-secret mission, WHY COULDN'T I COME WITH YOU?"

After taking in everything the pony blabbered, Twilight said, "Oh... hey, Pinkie Pie. I'll tell you everything later on. Just meet me at my library." Pinkie Pie saluted and said, "Okey-dokey, Smokey!" before vanishing.

"How does she _do_ that?" Jackie asked. Twilight said, "I've been asking myself the same thing for ages. Come on, we have to find the others!"

As they came into town, Twilight whispered, "If my memory serves me right, my friends Fluttershy and Rarity should be over at the spa right about now. Whatever you do, though, don't make a sound, because Fluttershy's kind of... skittish." They came to the bathhouse and waited in the lobby until they saw who they were waiting for.

Steam cleared from the doorway, and a ravishing white unicorn strutted out of the sauna, but she completely forgot her composure when she noticed Twilight's familiar face.

"T... Twilight? Where have you been? Oh, everypony thought something _dreadful_ happened to you..."

From behind her, a small yellow face peeked out. "...Twilight?" it squeaked, and stepped nervously forward. It was a yellow pegasus, shaking with each step.

The unicorn was on the floor fanning herself off with her hoof while the pegasus inched towards Twilight and put her hoof on her nose, quietly saying, "You're... alive?" Twilight started to tear up, and said, "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry, but I had no choice! I'll tell you everything later, just meet me at the library with Rarity." She lunged forward to give her friend a hug, but accidentally bucked Jade off her back.

Fluttershy heard a thump and a disembodied "Ow!", and she darted off, screaming, "_**GHOOOST!**_"

"I told you to keep quiet!"

"Sorry, but you knocked me on the ground!"

"Ayaaa! Uncle can't hear himself think! One more thing..."  
>"Stop! We're not getting anywhere with this!" Jackie said. "Twilight, who else do we need to find?"<p>

"Well, Rainbow Dash should be somewhere around-"

"TWILIGHT!"

Jade muttered "Here we go again..." as a blue pegasus landed in front of them. "Not cool ditching us like that, bro. I thought we were your friends!"

"Dash, please, I'll..."

"Yeah, yeah. Explain later, library, Pinkie told me already."

"So, we're good, then?" Twilight asked nervously.

"All I'm saying, Sparkle, is that explanation had better be **damn**** good!**" said Rainbow Dash before zooming off furiously. Twilight watched her and said to the others, "Don't worry. Whenever she's angry, she always calms down pretty quickly. However..."

"Who are you talking to, Twilight? Huh? Huh? Huh?" said Pinkie Pie, who just appeared behind them.

"Uh... nopony, Pinkie. Where's Applejack? Have you seen her?"

Pinkie shrugged and said, "She's been in her cider cellar for a while, slurping away."

"That's not like her at all," Twilight replied. "Is something wrong?"  
>"She was the surey-surest you'd come back, until about a week ago at the Summer Sun Celebration. We all thought you wouldn't miss that for the world! But you didn't miss much. Boooooooring! I mean, with Celestia being so sick and all..."<br>"Princess Celestia's sick?" Twilight interrupted worriedly.

"Twilight, just how far away did you _go_ on your super-cool, super-secret mission?" Pinkie asked. "She's been cooped up since Winter!"  
>"I knew she was getting weaker, but I didn't know it had gone this far... I have to find Applejack right away!"<p>

The team came to a farm, with thousands of apple trees filling the horizon. Twilight opened a trapdoor on the ground and glowed her horn. Out floated a freckled orange pony who was passed out and snorting loudly, with a western-style hat on her nose.

"Okay, that's the last one. Follow me," Twilight said to her aching passengers, handing Applejack to Tohru... or so she thought, until she heard a scream of "AYAAA!" followed by a thud. 

"AAH! Wh... Ah'm awake!"

Rainbow Dash shoved the storm cloud back out the library window when she was sure she'd shocked Applejack into sobriety. Rarity was holding Fluttershy close with one hoof, and a small, teary-eyed purple dragon with the other. Pinkie, for one of the rare times in her life, was standing still.

Twilight Sparkle had returned to Equestria, and they all wanted to know what happened.

Twilight came in, cuddling the baby dragon before saying a word.

"He was no trouble at all, Twilight. He was in good hooves while you were away," Rarity reassured her, but to no avail.

"Spike, I'm so sorry... I'll never forgive myself..." Twilight sobbed.

"Sorry to interrupt this _touching_ family reunion, but you promised us an explanation, hinny!" Rainbow butted in angrily.

Twilight explained everything from the beginning, but her friends didn't like what they heard. Pinkie got some popcorn... somehow, Fluttershy was backed into a corner, Rarity just looked confused, and Applejack had to hold onto Rainbow's tail to make sure she didn't do anything she'd regret.

"Ah... I might still be a tad buzzed, so I just wanna be sure I heard ya right," said Applejack. "I know the sun's blowin' up, but what you're sayin' is; you went to another planet to look for fancy marbles to wish everythin' better, teamed up with a buncha' hairless monkeys, and _accident'ly let a demon escape from Other World?_"

"I know it sounds impossible, but you have to believe me!" Twilight begged.

"If Twilight says it's true, then it's true!" Spike jumped up and shouted .

Applejack said, "Spike, it's real sweet of ya' to be defendin' your momma like that, but Ah' think somethin's happened to her..."

"...And she just told you what!" said an unseen voice. Fluttershy slunk down even further, and Rainbow Dash was startled out of her hover, falling to the floor.

"Uh, Twilight! Now would be a good time to take off that spell!" said the voice.

She nervously giggled, "Oh, uh... of course..." and her horn flashed, revealing Jade on her back and Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru behind.

Rarity and Applejack were helping a fainted Fluttershy, and Rainbow started blubbering nervously. "Look, pal, I... I'm real sorry, I had no idea..." she frantically said, but Twilight interrupted, "Dash, you have every right to be mad. You all do, but please understand that I had no choice. You would've tried to follow me, and for all I knew, Earth's atmosphere could have dissolved your lungs! I had to keep you guys safe."

Dash gave Twilight a friendly nudge and said, "Well, that's nice and all, but what are we waiting for? Let's find those dragon balls and kick some demon haunches! Who's with me?"

Applejack said, "It's the least I can do. I'm might sorry, Twi'."

Pinkie Pie shouted, "It'll be fun!"

Rarity hoisted Fluttershy on her back and said, "We'll catch up with you later, but she needs my help right now."

Applejack let out a cough that sounded a bit like "Chicken", but Rarity went out. "A nice massage, that will help you..."

The audience's chairs were empty, but she didn't care. The Great and Powerful Trixie would shine soon enough, she just knew it. All she had to do was wait for the right person to come at the right time.

"Oh, my..." said a voice. "Such _spectacular_ magic, but nopony to share it with? How tragic."

The blue unicorn looked around the stage, trying to find who said that.

"I know what you need. A booner- A talent scout. Luckily, I am here to provide."

From backstage walked a green unicorn with a yellow mane, a purple horn, and a red dress.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is interested... as long as the price is fair."

"Oh, very fair. You see, I'm a... collector, and there's one thing that's caught my eye that I simply must have."

"Allow Trixie time to consider your offer..."

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm afraid I can't do that. There's another client that's also caught my attention. Are you familiar with a Ms. Twilight Sparkle? Shame if she found it first..."

Twilight Sparkle... how that name burned in The Great and Powerful Trixie's memory. Just a few years before, she had destroyed her reputation, easily banishing an Ursa Minor when The Great and Powerful Trixie couldn't even singe one of its leg hairs!

"Trixie will sign. Just tell her what you want."

"Well, alright. It's sort of a funny-looking crystal ball; bright orange with a star in the middle..." 


	6. Chapter 6

**[[AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I admit it. I don't really like this story. It was written during my nerdy fanboy days. But hey, since you, my followers, enjoy it, I'm going to upload chapters 6 through 13 as they were originally posted on a forum two years ago. Who knows, I might even want to continue writing this sometime. Maybe.**]]**

"So, tell me more about this 'Earth' place! Giant cities that reach up  
>to the sky, machines that can do just about anything- I'd like to<br>visit there sometime!" "You should! There's a ton of cool stuff to do  
>there- Maybe I can sneak you in my backpack to Moose World!" "Jade, I<br>heard that!"

Spike and Jade were getting acquainted with each other while the  
>adults and ponies were still trying to figure out where the dragonball<br>could be.

Twilight was floating a quill to mark places on a map of Ponyville and  
>the surrounding areas. "Rainbow Dash, do you think it might've landed<br>in Cloudsdale as it was floating by?" "No way, it would've crashed  
>right through! How about the Everfree Forest? There's no end to the<br>wierd stuff there..." "Uncle suggests we scour the town itself. Qi  
>spell never lies! One more thing..." "If you say 'One more t'ing' one<br>more time, I'm gonna smash your face in, you hear me?!"

"This fighting will get us nowhere!" Jackie interrupted. Pointing at  
>the map, he continued, "I suggest that we find Fluttershy and leave<br>the children with her. Then, we search outward from there." The others  
>nodded, but Spike and Jade groaned.<p>

~~~

Fluttershy lived in a cozy little cottage on the outskirts of  
>Ponyville; the perfect place for a couple of kids, as long as they<br>didn't wander too far. Twilight urged the others out of sight and  
>knocked on the door.<p>

Rarity peeked out and said, "Oh, hello, dear." Twilight responded,  
>"Hi, Rarity. Is Fluttershy here?" "Yes. She's still trying to take all<br>of this in, the poor darling... Your alien friends, by the way;  
>they're peaceful, aren't they?" "Of course they are. They're good, all<br>of them. They've saved their own home planet from demons several  
>times. In fact, I was just about to ask if Fluttershy was willing to<br>look after the child, Jade, and Spike while we were out searching."

"I'll see how she's doing", Rarity said before going back inside the  
>cottage. Twilight got Jackie, Jade, and Spike out from the side of the<br>house, and Rarity returned with Fluttershy by her side, still nervous.  
>Jackie knelt down and slowly stroked her cheek, reassuringly saying,<br>"It's okay. I don't want to hurt you." Fluttershy squeaked and shook,  
>but calmed down after a short time. He told her, "I only want what's<br>best, and I need you to look after my niece while the rest of us  
>search. Can you do it?"<p>

Fluttershy whimpered and nodded reluctantly. These aliens were her  
>world's only hope after all, and she didn't want to get on their bad<br>side or they might use their dragonball wish to do something awful to  
>her. "Thank you. I know she'll be safe with you," Jackie said, and<br>Jade and Spike, disappointed, slunked inside the cottage. Twilight  
>said to Rarity, "We need you to come with us. Your ability to find<br>gems and crystals will come in handy, and it's been a few years since  
>I've casted that spell myself."<p>

"You're kidding me," Spike grumbled angrily as Rarity went to join the  
>others. Fluttershy walked over to the window. Luna's really outdone<br>herself tonight, with the beautiful full moon shining down... T-The  
>full moon?! she thought. She quickly slammed the curtains shut, and<br>did the same to the other windows. Did Earth have its own moon? Did  
>the aliens transform into giant, red-eyed monsters when it was full,<br>like in those stories Rainbow Dash tried to scare her with when they  
>were fillies?<p>

Jade was obviously confused, so Fluttershy laughed nervously and  
>opened one of the windows back up. She had to stop worrying so much.<br>Jade walked over next to her, and Fluttershy decided to try to talk to  
>her. "It's pretty... isn't it? The moon?" she said quietly. "Yeah, I<br>guess." Jade replied. Fluttershy asked, "Do you have one on your  
>planet?" "We do, but this one's so bright! Why is that?" "Well, more<br>than one thousand years ago..."

Fluttershy always loved telling the story of how Twilight, Rainbow,  
>Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, and herself first met and teamed up to<br>fight the dark enchantress Nightmare Moon and released Princess  
>Celestia's sister, Luna, from her thousand-year purgatory. Whenever<br>she remembered how brave she'd been then, it helped her feel brave  
>once again. With a demon on the loose, and her only hopes riding on<br>these apelike visitors, she needed all of the bravery she could  
>muster.<p>

Then, Jade got an idea. An awful idea. Jade got a wonderful, awful  
>idea. "Fluttershy, you said that those 'Elements of Harmony' in you<br>guys coming together are what defeated Nightmare Moon, right?" "Right,  
>but..." "What if it worked on others, too? It would be a real shame if<br>it was the demon's only weakness, and the others were missing the  
>Spirit of Kindness..." Fluttershy stood up and said, "...You're right.<br>That monster's probably dragging my friends to the Underworld right  
>now, and it's all my fault!"<p>

Fluttershy broke down crying, and Spike jumped up from the other side  
>of the room. "Jade, what did you do?!" he said, concerned. Jade,<br>embarrassed, was trying to calm her down. This was all wrong; that was  
>supposed to brave her back up so she'd take them to the others, not<br>make her hate herself! "Spike, there you are! Can you help me out  
>here? Thank you!" Jade begged. "Uh, let's see... Hush now, quiet now,<br>it's time to go to bed..." Spike hastily sang, but to no avail.

Fluttershy sniffed and said, "No. I'm not sleeping until my friends  
>are safe. Spike, keep an eye on Jade. I have to find them," before<br>soaring out.

Jade ran after, but Spike grabbed her shirt and said, "But Fluttershy  
>told us to stay here!" She responded by saying, "Nooo, she told you to<br>keep an eye on me! If we both go, then there's no problem!" Spiked  
>nodded and smirked, "Yeah... I like that," and the two followed the<br>speeding pegasus to the others.

Rarity was sweeping her flashing horn around for any sign of the  
>dragon ball when Fluttershy smashed into her at full speed. "Oh... oh,<br>I'm so sorry..." she said. Twilight and Jackie panicked and asked,  
>"Fluttershy?! I thought you were with the kids!" Fluttershy was trying<br>to catch her breath when Spike and Jade came in view, running straight  
>towards her. Fluttershy said, "Spike? Jade? I thought..." "Hey, I've<br>still got my eye on her!" Spike shrugged. "She won't be getting into  
>trouble around me, no way!"<p>

"Jade," Jackie said, "You're turning into a bad influence." "Jackie,  
>when will you learn? I've saved your butt more times than Uncle's<br>said, 'One mooore thing'! The team needs me!" Twilight said angrily,  
>"I'll let your uncles deal with you, Jade, but that doesn't excuse<br>you, Spike! I didn't come back and cradle you in my hooves, crying,  
>just to lose you to that demon! What do you have to say for yourself?"<br>Spike hated it when she got like this.

The last time she got this mad, she actually caught fire.

Just as Twilight's mane started smoking, Pinkie Pie said, "Hold on,  
>Twilight! They're just being kids! I still remember when I was still<br>just an Itsy-Bitsy-Little-Little-Twinkie-Pinkie, I used to drive my  
>parents crazy with my bouncing around and singing... Ooh, I should<br>sing right now! Ohhhh, when..." "SHUT UP!" Twilight interrupted. "I  
>have to keep him safe!" "But he's a dragon! You know, walking suit of<br>armor? Rarity's living pincushion?"

("Rarity's what?" Jade whispered to Spike. "Thick scales! Don't feel a  
>thing!" he replied as he knocked on his arm.)<p>

Twilight sighed and took a deep breath. "Spike, Jade, I'm sorry, but  
>you're both going straight to the castle, do you hear me? And you're<br>not going to tag along when we look for the other six dragonballs,  
>either!" Spike replied sadly, "Yes, Twilight..." "Spike, sweetie, I<br>really am sorry, but you have to understand. I just need you to stay  
>safe for me," Twilight said reassuringly.<p>

Jackie nodded in agreement before saying, "W- Wait a minute, how are  
>they going to get to a castle?" Spike held onto Jade with one claw,<br>then blew a burst of green flame at the ground which grew and  
>surrounded them before vanishing with them. Twilight explained,<br>"Princess Celestia cast a charm on his fire breath. We use it to send  
>messages. He and your niece are with the Princesses right now. Trust<br>me, they couldn't be safer."

~~~

Jade and Spike found themselves in a large, beautiful bedroom, with a  
>beautiful white unicorn-pegasus laying down in the balcony with her<br>horn shining and her hoof on her forehead. Spike bowed down  
>respectfully and urged Jade to do the same. "Why?" she whispered.<br>"Why? Wh-That's Princess Celestia, one of the rulers of the planet!"  
>Jade nervously followed suit. After a few seconds of utter silence,<br>Jade whispered, "So... what now?" "I don't know! Usually she flies  
>over and says hi by now..."<p>

"She won't be saying 'hi' to anyone anytime soon," said a voice from  
>behind them. Jade and Spike jumped up, startled, and turned around to<br>see a smaller unicorn-pegasus, one with a midnight-blue coat. "You're  
>princess Luna!" Jade said. "Fluttershy told me about you!" Spike,<br>panicking, yelled, "Wait! JADE! You have to be respectful to these  
>two!" "Spike, give the 'alien invader' time to adjust," Luna said<br>jokingly. "Twilight Sparkle already told me you two might be coming  
>here. Guests are always welcome."<p>

Spike asked, "It's nice that we're getting to know each other, but why  
>isn't Celestia talking? Or moving at all? I mean, the other ponies and<br>I visited just last week, remember? She was fine then! Sick and tired,  
>but she still shared a good laugh with us!" "A lot can happen in a<br>week," Luna said in a more somber tone. "She's almost completely  
>drained her strength keeping the sun alive. She's managed to buy more<br>time by becoming a vegetable, but I don't think she'll be able to keep  
>this up for much longer."<p>

"I'll have a guard escort you to your rooms- hopefully, one that won't  
>leave the pony he's sworn to protect alone with an alien!" Luna said<br>as she looked at the armor and spears scattered on the floor behind  
>her.<p>

~~~

Under the cover of night, almost nopony would see the ponies and the  
>humans roaming the streets. The biggest issue would be if somepony<br>found the dragonball and decided to keep it as a decoration of some  
>sort, but Rarity's magic could easily tell which one if that was the<br>case.

Rarity's horn flashed brightly. "Oh-I think I found something!" she  
>said. She looked up and slapped herself when she saw the sign adorning<br>the building; The Carousel Boutique: Ponyville's most elegant styles  
>since 997... Rainbow Dash said, "Rarity, we're not interested in<br>clothes shopping right now." "Rainbow Dash, I know it's a false alarm!  
>All of the gems I use must have interfered with the spell..." "Hold on<br>a tick; that alarm might not be so false after all. Listen!" Applejack  
>whispered.<p>

"Yes, this will do nicely... It's a little smaller than I expected,  
>but it should meet the requirements. And on the ground, in a crater-<br>It was as if that damned Twilight Sparkle wasn't even trying!"

"That sound like Yoko?" Applejack whispered. "No, that voice doesn't  
>have an accent," Twilight replied. "I know I've heard it somewherd<br>before, but where?" "Let's stop whispering, then, and find out!"  
>Dash... whispered.<p>

The team sneaked around the side of the boutique and peeked around the corner.

When she saw who it was, Twilight let out a sigh of relief.  
>"Everypony, it's okay. The dragonball's there, but it's only Trixie."<br>"Who?" Jackie asked. "Last time I saw her, she was a show-offy  
>magician who ran out of town. I wonder why she wants the dragonball?"<br>She walked over to her. "Hi, Trixie. I was just walking around and,  
>well... I haven't seen you in a while! Have you been practicing for<br>another show?" "Save your stories, Sparkle. The Great and Powerful  
>Trixie already know why you're here."<p>

"You do? Great!" Twilight said. "You're looking to rip my chances of  
>fame from me yet again!" Trixie continued. Twilight's eyes widened,<br>and she asked, "What? Why would you think that? I just need that  
>wierd-looking globe you're holding." "So does my talent scout! Don't<br>lie to me. She's told me already that you're trying to make a deal."  
>"Trixie, I don't know what you're talking about! And besides, why<br>would a talent scout want something like that? Unless... What did this  
>'talent scout' look like?"<p>

"Alright, Thd Great and Powerful Trixie will humor you. She's a  
>green-coated unicorn. Yellow mane. Purple horn. Red dress. I didn't<br>see her cutie mark." Twilight put these details together in her head.  
>It sounds like Teriyaki Yoko, all right, if she were a unicorn. Can<br>demons shapeshift? Suddenly, bright lights flashed, and Twilight  
>screamed in pain and was thrown backwards, her fur scorched in<br>patches. Trixie's horn was glowing and her hoof was held outward.

"And, by the way," Trixie said as she launched more fireworks above  
>her head, "The Great and Powerful Trixie has been practicing. Thank<br>you for noticing."


End file.
